Q: How are devices represented in UNIX?

All devices are represented by files called special files that are located in /dev
directory.
Q: Tell me the steps to remove the swap file?
Firstly disable the swap file by swapoff command.
Remove Swap file entry from /etc/fstab file.
Now remove the swap file by rm command.
Q: What can we do with parted command or utility?
View the existing partition table
Add partitions from free space or additional hard drives
Change the size of existing partitions
Q: - What is inode?
All UNIX files have its description stored in a structure called inode. The inode
contains info about the file-size, its location, time of last access, time of last
modification, permission and so on. Directories are also represented as files and
have an associated inode.
Q: Can we resize the size of a partition?
Yes, we can resize the size of partition by parted command.
#parted /dev/sda
print
To resize the partition, use the resize command followed by the minor number for
the partition, the starting place in megabytes, and the end place in megabytes. For
example:
resize 3 1024 2048
After resizing the partition, use the print command to confirm that the partition has
been resized correctly, is the correct partition type, and is the correct file system
type.
Q: What is LVM?
LVM stands for Logical Volume Manager. LVM, is a storage management solution
that allows administrators to divide hard drive space into physical volumes (PV),
which can then be combined into logical volume groups (VG), which are then

divided into logical volumes (LV) on which the filesystem and mount point are
created.
Q: What are the steps to create LVM?
- Create physical volumes by pvcreate command
#pvcreate /dev/sda2
- Add physical volume to volume group by vgcreate command
#vgcreate VLG0 /dev/sda2
- Create logical volume from volume group by lvcreate command.
#lvcreate -L 1G -n LVM1 VLG0
Now create file system on /dev/sda2 partition by mke2fs command.
#mke2fs -j /dev/VLG0/LVM1
Q: - How we will check free space on drive /dev/sda with parted command?
#parted /dev/sda
print
Q: - What are the process states in Unix?
As a process executes it changes state according to its circumstances. Unix
processes have the following states:
Running : The process is either running or it is ready to run .
Waiting : The process is waiting for an event or for a resource.
Stopped : The process has been stopped, usually by receiving a signal.
Zombie : The process is dead but have not been removed from the process table.

What command do you use to format a partition with a file system?

You could use mkfs command to format partition with file system.
Which command will assign IP address 192.168.1.1 and subnet mask
255.255.255.0 to eth0 network interface?
ifconfig command can be used to assign IP address. Following command will do the
given task

ifconfig eth0 192.168.1.1 netmask 255.255.255.0

Which option in fdisk will display the partition table?
In fidisk utility, the "p" command will print the partition table.
To create a recurring scheduled task, which Linux scheduling tool should
you use?
The cron command allows you to create recurring tasks
What command can you use to enable an Ethernet network interface that
has already been configured?
To enable already configured interface use
ifconfig [interface] up
command. For example to up eth0 interface use following command
#ifconfig eth0 up
How will you decompress the demo.tar.gz file?
To decompress use following command
#tar -zxvf demo.tar.gz
A core dump file contains this message, Program terminated with signal
11, segmentation fault. What does this message indicate?
The core file will tell you what exactly caused the program to crash. So this
message indicate that the program crashed because of a segmentation fault in
memory.
What command runs fdisk on the first ATA/IDE hard drive?
The first ATA/IDE hard drive is hda, so the command would be
# fdisk /dev/hda
An application is creating several, very large core dump files. What should
the administrator do if he has no intention of debugging these files?

If administrator have no intention of keeping these files for debugging purposes,

they should be deleted because they are wasting valuable disk space, and may
cause system to run out of space.
When checking the partition information on your hard drive with fdisk, you
notice that one of the partitions is formatted as "Linux Swap" and is
approximately 512MB in size. What is the purpose of this partition?
The Linux swap file is used for virtual memory to store additional information that
cannot fit into current memory. This swap file allows information to be cached on
disk, and can be retrieved very quickly. Heavy use of the swap file indicates a low
memory condition.
What sort of kernel error can cause a Linux system to crash and write a
memory core dump?
Kernel panic error can cause a Linux system to crash. A kernel panic indicates that a
kernel process has crashed. This is a very serious error that causes the entire Linux
system to crash. These core dumps should be analyzed carefully to find the root
cause of the problem.
An administrator wants to assign an IP address of 192.168.1.10, a subnet
mask of 255.255.255.0, and a broadcast address of 192.168.1.254 to eth1.
What command will accomplish this task?
Following command will do this task
ifconfig eth1 192.168.1.10 netmask 255.255.255.0 broadcast 192.168.1.254
What command should you use to set up a job to run at 11:15 a.m. today?
When you are only running the job once at the specified time, you should always
use the at command. In this case following command will do the task
#at 11:15
You are tasked to set up a schedule to perform automatic checks of
available disk space at the end of the day. How can you accomplish this
task?
To accomplish this task set up cron to run a script that will check the disk space
daily at 7:00 p.m. The output will be e-mailed to the root account. You can compare
the results from day to day to analyze disk space usage.

Your cron file should look similar to the following:

* 19 * * * df -kl
As a administrator you need to terminate the sendmail process. How will
you do that?
First you need to determine the PID of sendmail so it can be killed.
#ps -ef |grep sendmail
Now you can use kill command to terminate the process associated with sendmail.
You noticed a kernel error message during the boot process, but it scrolled
before you could read this? What log file could you check to find out that
message?
The log file that contains kernel boot messages is /var/log/dmesg.
You execute a command that is going to take a long time. How can you get
back to your shell prompt to perform other task?
You can use bg command to send a running process to the background.
You need to kill all instances of Web Server? What command will you
execute to do this?
You can use killall httpd command to kill all httpd process. httpd process run web
server.
How can you list all running process?
Use ps -ef command to list all running process.
#ps -ef
As a Linux admin you want to know what processes are being run by user
sumit. What command can you use ?
You can use #ps -au command to list all the process owned by user. Following
command will do the assigned task
#ps -au sumit
Which log file keeps track of all user logins and logouts?

/var/log/wtmp log file keeps track of all user logins and logouts.
What is the first process that is run when a Linux system starts, and is
responsible for starting all other system processes and services?
The init process is the first process to be run. It is the parent process of all other
Linux system processes, services, and daemons that are needed to run the system.
Which command will you use to bring a process in foreground, which is
running in the background?
The fg command immediately moves the program to the foreground.
An administrator has accidentally killed a core process. What is the result
of this action?
Killing a core process can potentially crash your system because many critical
services rely on these core processes
As a administrator you need to monitor the /var/log/messages file in real
time to resolve the issue? How would you do that?
You can use tail command with -f option. Following command will do the assigned
task
#tail -f /var/log/messages
From the output of ps command how will you determine the ID number of
the parent process of a particular program?
PPID refers to the parent process identification number.
While scanning the /var/log/messages file, you notices an error stating an
authentication failure for root. What could this mean?
Any failed login attempts for root are logged into the /var/log/messages file. It
indicate that some has tried to login as root.
As an administrator you noticed from top command that an unidentified
process is using up all CPU and memory. You suspects that is a user's
process that has run away. How should you fix this ?
The process should be immediately killed before it consumes so many resources
that the server cannot run properly, and therefore crash.

What command can an administrator use to track real-time information on

processes and the resources that they are using?
The top command is used to monitor processes and resources in real-time.
A developer with username sanjay has told you that one or his processes
seem to be locked up and he cannot it. He reported that it a bug in his
code and may quickly use up all CPU and RAM resources on the server.
How will you tack the process and terminate it?
Your first step is to identify the process, use ps command
#ps -au sanjay
Now run top command to compare the process running, and verify which one is
using the most resources. After you have identified the problem process, you can
use the kill command to terminate it. Because the user was unable to stop the
process, you should probably force a kill signal to make sure that the process stops:
#kill -9 [PID of process]
Now, to verify that it has stopped, run the ps command again on the user:
ps -au sanjay
Which file have runlevel configuration?
/ect/inittab
What command would you use to shut down the system in 100 seconds?
#shutdown -h 100
What daemon controls the print spooling process?
The Line Printing Daemon (lpd) controls the print spooling process.
What configuration file defines the default runlevel for the init process?
/etc/inittab file defines the default runlevel for the init process.
Which command can you use to shut down and halt a Linux System?
The halt command will shut down a Linux system without rebooting
What init level should you set to bring the system to single-user mode?

init 1 will bring the system to single-user mode

A user wants to restart the NFS server because they want to enable
changes made in the configuration file. What command accomplishes this
task?
#service nfs reload
The reload command will tell the system to stop the service, reload the
configuration file, and restart the service
What command can you use to reboot a Linux system?
The command to reboot a Linux system is reboot
What mode must you be in when using vi editor to input text into a file?
To insert text in the vi editor, you must be in insert mode
What runlevel does init 1 represent?
init 1 represents runlevel1.Runlevel 1 is used for single user mode.
One user from your company left the job without telling root account
password of his system. To reset root password, in which mode you need
to boot the system?
To reset the root password, we need to boot the system in single user mode.
What runlevel does init 2 represent?
init2 represents rulevel 2. runlevel 2 is used for multiuser without networking.
Some users are complaining that the DHCP server is not running. After examine the
running processes on the system, you notice that the process is not present. What
command should you use to start the DHCP service?
Because the service is currently not running, use the start command
#service dhcpd start
What runlevel does init 5 represent?
Runlevel 5 is used to boot up a full multiuser system and to automatically start Xwindows.
What tar argument is used to extract files from an archive?

To extract files from an archive, use the -x argument in the tar command.
What init runlevel should be set to shut down and reboot the system?
init runlevel 6 is used to shut down and reboot the system
What command would you use to add the user name vickey?
#useradd vickey
This command will add the user viceky with default options. But this will not be able
to login in system until you set a password for it. To set password use following
command
#passwd vickey
Which runlevel currently not is used ?
Runlevel 4 is not used.
Your company hired a new developer for temporary periods to speed up
the ongoing project. You are tasked to create a new user account which
should be disabled automatically on 5 may 2014. How would you do that?
Use -e option with useradd command. -e option allows you to set the date on which
the user account will be disabled. The date is specified in the format YYYY-MM-DD.
Following command will do the assigned task
#useradd -e 2014-05-05
Which command should you use to change the user information listed
form finger command?
chfn command is used to change the information listed from finger command.
What runlevel does init 6 represent?
Runlevel 6 is used to reboot the system.
You are tasked to delete a user account with all his associated files
including his home directory and mail folder. How will you do that ?
#userdel -r [username]

Above command will delete user account as well all his associated files including his
home directory and mail folder.
A user comes to you and complain that his system was starting fine in GUI mode,
but from last reboot system is starting in command line interface. What is the most
likely cause of the problem?
In the /etc/inittab file, the default runlevel is probably set to 3, which tells it to start
the system in command line.
What files are updated when adding a group?
/etc/group and /etc/gshadow files contains group information in Linux system. So
these files would be updated every time whenever new group is added.
What command is used to delete a group?
The groupdel command will delete a group.
What runlevel does init 3 represent?
init3 represents rulevel 3. runlevel 3 is used for multiuser with networking.
What command will display the directory path that is currently in use?
pwd command will display the directory path that is currently in use.
A user type 'cd ~ ' on command prompt, what this command will do?
This command will move user to his or her home directory. ~ represents home
directory in Linux.
A user comes to you and complain that his system start fine, but as soon
as it is almost loaded it reboot again. What is the most likely cause of the
problem?
In the /etc/inittab file, the default runlevel is probably set to 6, which tells it to
reboot right after the system has started.
Which command will list all the files and sub-directories in a directory and
include the access rights?
ls -l command will list all the files and sub-directories in a directory and include the
access rights.

Which command will list all the files in a directory including hidden files?
ls -a command will list all the files in a directory including hidden files.
What is the correct syntax for the move command?
The correct syntax for the move command is
mv [options] [source] [destination]
Which character option with chmod command allows the execute-only
permission if the file is a directory?
The x option is used to allow execute only if the file is a directory.
How will you display confirmation of the change of ownership of a file from
rhuser1 to rhuser2?
Use --verbose option with chown command. For example
#chown --verbose rhuser2 /tmp/testfile
Which command is used to un-mount a DVD?
Use umount command to un-mount the DVD or CD or any other mounted media.
What runlevel does init 0 represent?
Runlevel 0 is used to halt /shutdown the system.
Which command will display the total size of all files, without listing the
files, in a user's home directory?
The command du -c -s /home/user will display the total size of all files, without
listing the files
Which command will display the available space of each partition in
megabytes (MB)?
The command df -m will display the available space of each partition in MB.
Hard drive in your system is full and you want new hard drive. However sales
department would not approve the expenditure without proof. Which tool would you
use get a proof?

Use df command to justify the available free space in hard disk.

A user comes to you and complain that his system start fine, but as soon as it is
almost loaded it shuts down again. What is the most likely cause of the problem?
In the /etc/inittab file, the default runlevel is probably set to 0, which tells it to
shutdown right after the system has started.
What is Kerberos used for?
Kerberos is used for secure network logon.
Which partition store system configuration files in Linux system?
/etc partition stores system configuration files in Linux.
What is the purpose of the MD5 option on passwords?
MD5 is an encryption method that encrypts the password before saving.
Name any four general password rules for user account.

Include at least eight total characters

Use the string in an unrepeated way

Avoid use words that can be found in the dictionary

Avoid use dates of significance, such as a birthday or anniversary

A better method of password security is to create difficult-to-break passwords that

are easy for the users to remember.
What is the alternative method to a GUI installation in Linux ?
Linux provides text base installation as the alternative method of GUI installation.
What is the purpose of the swapon command ?
swapon command is used to activate a already created swap partition. It cannot be
used to create a new swap partition.
What is gzip?
gzip is a compression utility created by the GNU project.
What is tar?

tar is an archive utility that is used to create tape backups.

Which is the standard command used to uncompress gzip files?
The standard command used to uncompress gzip files is gunzip.
What is the RPM switch for only installing packages?
The command line switch for installing an RPM is -i.
What is the command used to install an RPM package named
demofilename2.2-2.i386.rpm?
The most common command used to install an RPM package is rpm -ivh. Following
command will install the given package
#rpm -ivh demofilename2.2-2.i386.rpm
What is the command used to remove an RPM package named
demofilename2.2-2.i386.rpm?
The most common command used to remove an RPM package is rpm -evh.
Following command will remove the given package
#rpm -evh demofilename2.2-2.i386.rpm
What is the command used to update an RPM package named
demofilename2.2-2.i386.rpm?
The most common command used to update an RPM package is rpm -Uvh.
Following command will update the given package and remove the old.
#rpm -Uvh demofilename2.2-2.i386.rpm
Which command is used to see which RPM version of gzip was installed on
the system?
#rpm -q gzip
Where are the automatically mounted file systems listed?
The automatically mounted file systems are listed in the file /etc/fstab.
While installing the new RPM what common steps should take ?

You should follow these common steps

Use RPM tools should be used to query or verify the installed packages to

confirm the installation of any previous packages.

Check the signature of new package

RPM should be installed or upgraded by first using the test mode to verify
that it works, and then it should be installed

At the end query the RPM and verify the installation of RPM

Which organization controls the official releases and updates of the X Window
System?
The X Consortium at www.x.org controls the official release and updating of the X
Window System
PPP is most often used to create?
PPP is most often used to create serial point-to-point connections.
When attempting to connect to www.example.com you got unknown host
message. Which service is most likely not functioning properly?
DNS
Samba is used to provide support for which protocol?
Samba is used to support the Microsoft SMB/CIFS systems.
What command is used to load a module into the kernel?
The insmod command is used to load a module into the kernel
Name one of the most secure method of remote access.
SSH is the most secure method of remote access
With respect to a Linux systems RAM, how large should the swap file be?
Generally the size of the swap file should be twice the size of installed RAM.
How would you create a backup of the fstab file to the /backup folder?
Use cp command to create the backup.

#cp /etc/fstab /backup

What command is used to exit the edit mode of VI editor?
The [esc] key is used to exit from the edit mode of VI editor.
What key combination will exit from VI editor and not save the changes
made?
Esc + q +! Key combination will exit VI without saving the changes.
What command would you use to create a file system on a new hard drive?
The mkfs command is used to create file systems.
What fstab file do?
The fstab file is used to automatically mount file systems.
What inittab file do?
The /etc/inittab file is used to perform the default state and terminal connections for
a Linux system.
What command can you use to verify the current active shell?
The env command will display the current active shell.
Where is the file . bashrc located?
The . bashrc file is usually located in the /home/username directory.
What function does the .bash_profile file perform?
The function of the .bash_profile file is to provide login initialization commands.
What function does the .bash_logout file perform?
The function of the .bash_logout is to provide logout functions
What function does the .bashrc file perform?
The function of the .bashrc file is to provide shell configuration commands.